Machine for turning buttons



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

T. L. CALKINS 82; J. W. 000K. Machine for Turning Buttons. No. 234,241. Patented Nov. 9,1880.

N-PETERS, FHOTO-LITN0GRAPHERI WASHINGTON, D C- (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. T. L. OALKINS 8v J. W. 000K. Machine for Turning Buttons.

No. 234,241. Patented Nov. 9.1880.

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.N- PETERS PNOTD-UTHOGRAPHB, WASHINGTON D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS L. OALKINS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND JOHN W. COOK, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR TURNING BUTTONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 234,241, dated November 9, 1880.

Application filed April 7, 1880. (N model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS L. GALKINS, of the city, county, and State of New York, and JOHN W. 000K, of Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Turning Buttons and other Articles, which invention is fully set forth in the followingspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improvement in machines for turning buttons and other articles and it consists in a cutter-head fixed within an intermittently revolving carrier adapted to support the work, and mechanism for alternately causing the carrier to move toward and from the cutter-head, substantially as hereinafter described.

A secondary cutter-head may be supplied for acting upon the opposite side of the work, and also a chute for receiving and carrying oif the finished article.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan 2 5 view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a section in the plane as a, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section in the plane y y, Fig. 1.

Similarletters indicate corresponding parts.

In these drawings, the letter A designates 0 the frame of the machine, which is of iron or other fit material. On the top of this frame A are VS 12 'v, on which the carriage B slides back and forth. Motion is imparted to the carriage B by a cam, O, keyed onto the shaft 3 5 D, which shaft is caused to revolve in the frame A by power or other suitable means. The cam 0 acts on the cam-arm which is connected to the rod F, pushing it in the direction shown by the arrow thereon in Fig. 2.

0 The cam-rod F rests in arms G G, Fig. 2, which form part of the carriage B, and said rod is held in place by nuts a a, Fig. 2, which sit against one of the arms Gr. By properly turning the nuts to a on the screw end of the cam- 4 5 rod F the position of the carriage B on the Vs can be regulated.

When the cam has pushed the carriage B in the direction of the arrow as far as it can press the arm E, and its narrow side begins to approach said arm E, the weight W, which is attached to a rope or chain, 11, passing over a pulley, c, and whose other end is fast to some fixed part of the carriage, pulls the carriage B back to its original position. A spring may be used for the weight W. In this manner the carriageB is caused to slide back and forth on the Vs o e. In this carriage B rests an annular carrier, H, consisting of a ring of metal or other fit material. This carrier rests on a circular V, w, on the carriage B, so as to revolve easily thereon. The bottom or under side of the carriage H has a spur-gear, d, screwed or otherwise attached to it, gearing into the cog-wheel e, Fig. 2. This cog-wheel e is firmly keyed to a sleeve which turns loosely on the cam-rod F. On said sleeve is titted the cog-wheelf, which engages with a cog-wheel, I, keyed or firmly fastened to the shaft D. The eog-wheelf is held on the sleeve simply by friction, and causes the same to revolve as long as the resistance which opposes such revolution is not sufficient to overcome the frictional contact between said sleeve and the cogwheel; but if this resistance exceeds a certain limit the sleeve remains stationary and 7 5 the cog-wheel f turns thereon. "In practice that part of the sleeve which forms the bearing for the cog-wheel f will be made slightly tapering, and the hole in the cog-wheel will be bored out correspondingly.

In a notch or perforation in the carriage B slides a detent, g, Figs. 1 and 3, which, by means of a spring, h, is pressed in against the carrier H, and its end, catching in a notch or depression in the rim of said carrier, holds the carrier stationary. By these means the gearwheel 6 is also held stationary, and the annular carrier H simply slides with the carriage B without turning. The wheel f is also free to slide back and forth without losing its gear- 0 ing with the Wheel I, since said wheel fis sufficiently long for this purpose.

On the carrier H are clamps for holding the blanks to be turned, four being shown in the drawings,Fig. 1. These clamps consist of two 5 griping plates or jaws, i i, which are pressed together by springs j, thus firmly retaining the blanks k, which are to be turned between their griping surfaces. The inner gripingplate of the clamps is stationary, but the outer plate slides with the guides m m, to which it is fastened, and whose bearings are in the inner griping-plate and in arms I I, rising from the carrier H. When a clamp rests in front of the hand-lever J the two guides at at rest close to the extremities or bearingsurfaces n n of the arm which is fast to said lever J. By pulling the lever J outward the guides on m carry the outer clamping-plate, i, away from the inner one, leaving the old blank free to fall out onto the floor or into a box, and fresh blanks can then be inserted. The fulcrump of the lever J is in a part of the immovable frame A of the machine. A spring, 0, presses the lever back to its original position against the stop q. Any other form of clamp may be used; but this form is preferable because rapidly and securely operated.

When the detent g falls into a notch in the rim of the carrier 11 the position of the clamps is such that one of them, with its blank, which consists of ivory, ebony, or any other suitable material, stands opposite the knife or cutter 1', which works by means of a spindle, K, revolving rapidly in the standards L L, which form part of the fixed frame A. Motion is imparted to the spindle K by power or other suitable means. When the weight W has pulled the carriage B far enough over so as to bring the blank in the clamps i i into contact with the cutter 1', one side or face thereof is turned or shaped to the requisite form. In order that the cutter 1" may not remain in contact with the material k long enough to become heated and lose its temper, we prefer to make the narrow side of the cam (J slightly fluted or waveshaped, Fig. 2, so that the cutter r and the material It come into contact at short intervals, while the narrow side of the cam bears against the arm When the carriage B is pulled along by the weight W, the detent g moves along with the carriage B, and its arm .9, Fig. 3, slides along the under side of the incline f, pressing said incline and the swinging arm u, to which it is fast, outward from the side of the machine, allowing the arm s to pass freely. This arm u swings about a pivot, a, in an arm standing out from the side of the frame A, and when the arm 8 has passed far enough along the under surface of the incline t the spring b, acting on the arm u, causes it to fly back to its original position. \Vhen the carriage B now begins to move back under the action of the cam O, the arm s, passing over the outer side of the incline t, pulls the detentg out of the notch in the rim of the carrier H, which then begins to revolve under the action of the gearings I, f,e, and d, and the same continues to revolve until another notch comes opposite to the de tent g,when the same, falling into said notch, again holds the carrier H stationary, and so on alternately.

By this means the clamp which before rested in front of the lever J is brought to the position in front of the cutter 1", while the clamp which before was directly behind the spindle K is brought in front of the lever J, when said clamp can be opened by the lever J and the blank falls out, and new ones can be introduced therein.

When one side of the blank has thus been shaped it can be taken out of the clamps and reversed so as to present its opposite side to the cutter r. By removing this cutter r out of the spindle and introducing another one of the proper form the reverse side of the blank will also be properly shaped, when the article will be finished.

In order to perform the work more quickly, however, a secondary spindle, M, and cutter d are provided, which work outside the car ricr H and cut out the other face of the article. By this arrangement the article is finished opposile and by means of the cutter d, and being cut out, the velocity of the rapidly-revolviug cutter 01 causes the article to spring out of the carrier and into a chute, N, provided for the purpose, which chute carries the finished article into a box or other receptacle provided therefor. Thischute consistsofatubeof any suitable material-as wood or metal-and it is attached to the frame or other stationary part of the machine. The upper part of this chute consists of a flexible tube of rubber or similar material, so that it can be easily compressed between the spindle K and the clamp i without injury to any part. The upper part of the chute N is closed and an openingin its side sits over the inner opening of the clamp resting in front thereof, so that; the finished article will be sprung into the chute and carried off. Thus it will be seen that when the clamp resting in front of the cutter d has been carried to the position in front of the lever J it contains only the empty shell of the blank from which the article has been cutout. This shell is readily released and new blanks introduced, so that the turning operation will go on uninterruptedly.

In order that the rapidly-revolving cutters will not lift the carrier H up and out of the carriage B, the spur-gear d on the under side of the carrier is provided with an annular projecting lip, e, forming part of said gear. This lip runs in a groove arranged for its reception in the carriage B, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, thus holding the carrier H in place. The carriage B is also held down on the frame A by means of lugs f, Fig. 3, screwed or otherwise fastened to said carriage, and which run in grooves in the frame A.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machine for turning buttons and other articles, the combination of an annular revolving carrier having an intermittent motion, a cutter-head located within said carrier, and mechanism, substantially as herein described, for moving the carrier toward and from the cutter-head, all essentially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a machine for turning buttons and other articles, the combination of an annular revolving carrier, H, having an intermittent motion, a cutter-head fixed within said carrier, a second cutter-head fixed without said carrier, mechanism, substantially as herein described, for alternately moving the carrier toward and from the cutter-heads, and a chute for receiving the finished articles, all essentially as set forth.

3. The combination, in a machine for turning buttons and other articles, of an annular carrier, H, mechanism, substantially as herein described, for imparting an intermittent motion thereto, a reciprocating carriage in which said carrier turns, a cam for actuating said carriage, and two cutter-heads fixed, respectively, within and outside of the carrier, all essentially as set forth.

4. In a machine for turning buttons and other articles, the combination of an annular revolving carrier, mechanism, substantially as herein described, for impartingan intermittent motion thereto, a reciprocating carriage in which said carrier turns, a cam provided with a fluted bearing-surface for actuating said carriage, and two cutter-heads fixed, respectively, within and outside of the carrier, all essentially as set forth.

5. In a machine for turning buttons and other articles, the combination of an annular revolving carrier, H, mechanism, substantially as herein described, for imparting an intermittent motion thereto, clamps supported on said carrier H, a reciprocating carriage, B, in which said carrier revolves, a cam for actuating the carriage, and two cutter-heads fixed, respectively, within and outside of the carrier, all essentially as set forth.

6. In a machine for turning buttons and other articles, the combination of an annular revolving carrier, H, mechanism, substantially as herein described, for imparting motion to said carrier, a detent, g, for holding said carrier stationary at certain intervals, clamps for holding the material to be turned, a reciprocating carriage, B, in which said carrier revolves, a cam for actuating said carriage, and two cutter-heads fixed, respectively, within and outside of the carrier, all essentially as set forth.

7. The combination, in a machine for turning buttons and other articles, of an annular revolving carrier, H, having an intermittent motion, a cutter-head fixed within said carrier, a second cutter-head fixed without said carrier, and mechanism, substantially as herein described, for alternately moving the carrier toward and from the cutter-heads, all essentially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands and aflixed our seals this 7th day of February, A. D. 1880.

THOS. L. OALKINS. [L. s.] JOHN W. COOK. [L. s.] Witnesses:

W. HAUFF,

E. F. KASTENHUBER. 

